The Rescue of Bela Bartok

July 22, 2012

The two Singlehanded TransPac Moore 24 sailors, Ruben Gabriel and Ronnie Simpson, got together and rescued Bela Bartok, the 31-ft Vindo 40 raced by Derk Wolmuth. Derk had to abandon the boat during the SH TransPac after getting sick in the latter half of the race (see last weekend's news flash). He was picked up by a close-by ship that was headed to Oakland. But before leaving his boat, he set the jib only and aimed her west. With her Yellowbrick tracking still working, she sailed close enough all on her own that the intrepid rescuers hopped a flight from Kauai to Maui, where they were able to charter a powerboat, find Bela Bartok, jump onboard, and sail her to Waikiki. She sits at the Waikiki Yacht Club dock in Honolulu waiting for Derk to recover.

For more on the Singlehanded TransPac race from Tiburon to Hanalei Bay, Kauai, see http://singlehandedtranspac.com.